The Chronicles of Sakirina & Linkidu
by A.Z.E. Nildran
Summary: Sakirina was once cold-hearted and selfish. She is now an adventurous young lupe, with an important choice ahead of her. What path will she choose to take?
1. Sakirina's Change of Heart

Sakirina & Linkidu: The Beginning  
  
Sakirina the green lupe crept through the Haunted Woods. She had been abandoned not long after she was born and was now cruel and heartless. Having no home, and not wanting to go to the pound, she had traveled to the Haunted Woods thinking that it would be a good place to spend her days. Since then she had met many evil pets that the rest of us can only imagine in our nightmares. Sakirina remembered little of her life before being abandoned and she almost didn't care anymore. Almost, but not quite. In her heart she wanted a safe and happy life.  
  
Not long after Sakirina had been abandoned she had met a chia named Aleni. They had become good friends and had much in common. Then, one day when they were exploring Terror Mountain, Aleni disappeared. For this reason, Sakirina liked chias a lot, though she didn't often see them in the Haunted Woods. Sakirina had never quite gotten over Aleni's disappearance.  
  
Scaring young pets and their owners had become a hobby of Sakirina over the years. She liked to jump out from behind trees yelling. She was rather frightening looking, considering that she had lived alone for years and had not cut or brushed her fur in months and had blended into her surroundings.  
  
One day when Sakirina was hunting in the woods she came across a small yellow chia that seemed to have been kicked around like a soccer ball. Sniffing him, Sakirina coughed violently. He smelled like rotten eggs mixed with dirt. The chia groaned and rolled over. Picking him up in her mouth, Sakirina carried the chia to a small cave in the depths of the Haunted Woods, which was the only thing she could call home. After dunking the chia in the trickling stream that ran past Sakirina's cave to clean him off, she took him inside and sat him down, sitting on her bed of leaves.  
  
"What's your name?" Sakirina asked gruffly.  
  
"L-L-Linkidu, miss," the chia stammered.  
  
Sakirina grunted and went to sit at the opening of the cave, thinking. She did want a companion, but didn't like to let other lupes of the woods know that she liked chias.   
  
Deciding that she didn't care what other lupes thought, Sakirina went back to where she had been sitting.  
  
"Alright, you can stay," she announced. "As long as you don't get underfoot."  
  
"Th-thank you miss," the chia said quietly.  
  
"And stop calling me 'miss.' I'm not a 'miss.' I'm a vicious lupe," Sakirina said, baring her teeth.  
  
Linkidu shuddered at the sight of Sakirina's teeth. "What am I to call you then?" he asked.  
  
"Call me Sakirina or Saki will you," she replied.  
  
"Yes, Sakirina."  
  
"Hmmph,"  
  
She went outside to see if there was anyone around to scare. Suddenly a large slate gray lupe sprang out from between the trees. Sakirina stepped back in surprise.  
  
"Who are you?" she growled.  
  
"I am the ghost lupe, terror of all lupes and chias alike!" the lupe declared loudly.  
  
Linkidu, who had come to see what the noise was about, quickly snuck back in the cave. He must have decided that it would be useful to have a surprise for the ghost lupe if this turned into a fight.  
  
If Sakirina had been tongue-tied in fright before, she certainly wasn't now.  
  
"How dare you invade my peaceful home, you ugly monster!?" cried Sakirina, starting to get angry.  
  
"How dare you insult me!? I am not an ugly monster! You are the ugly monster!" the ghost lupe said hotly.  
  
Sakirina attacked. The insult had really gotten to her and she wasn't going to let this lupe get away without hurting him first. Sakirina hated anyone who tried to hurt chias since the disappearance of Aleni and this was someone who had probably hurt more chias than Sakirina could count. She bit and clawed at the ghost lupe, trying to tear his fur. Suddenly a yellow blob of chia came flying from a tree to land on the ghost lupe's back. The lupe tried to claw Linkidu of his back but couldn't reach him. The little yellow chia bit and tore at the ghost lupe's back. Suddenly the lupe ran off into the forest. Linkidu quickly jumped off his back and went to stand by Sakirina.  
  
Shaking, Sakirina sat down hard.  
  
"Linkidu? I think you just saved out lives," Sakirina said gratefully. "You've definitely earned the right to stay here."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
***   
  
After that, Sakirina and Linkidu became good friends. They did everything together. Sakirina was much happier than she had been, but her problems certainly weren't over. They still lived in the Haunted Woods, so they ran into a lot of evil creatures that many people do not even know exist, but they were happy.  
  
One day when Sakirina and Linkidu were exploring the Haunted Woods, they came across an abandoned well. Not thinking that an abandoned well was a strange thing, Sakirina and Linkidu started to investigate it. A bucket was still attached to the rope, and so the two pets decided to lower it down, just for fun. They heard a thunk as the bucket hit the bottom and started to pull it back up. It seemed much heavier than before. Maybe there was still water in the well. It was possible. Once the bucket was pulled up Sakirina leaned over and looked in. She gasped and reached into the bucket. Inside it was a giant blue crystal.  
  
"Linkidu! Take a look at this!" Sakirina said excitedly.  
  
"What is it, Saki? I'm busy," asked Linkidu.  
  
"Just look! It's really cool!" Sakirina replied.  
  
So Linkidu stood up from looking around the trees at the edge of the clearing where the well sat and came over to see what Sakirina was looking at.  
  
"Woah," Linkidu gasped in awe. "Why was that in an abandoned well in the middle of the Haunted Woods?"  
  
"Good question," Sakirina replied. "Do you think we should keep it?"  
  
"Well, it doesn't look like it belongs to anyone, being in the bottom of a well and all. I suppose it couldn't hurt to keep it," decided Linkidu.  
  
"You're probably right. Who would keep a huge crystal like this at the bottom of a well anyway?" Sakirina wondered.  
  
"Who knows? I think we should go home soon. I don't like this place," Linkidu said.  
  
"I don't like it any more than you do. Let's get out of here!" Sakirina said.  
  
Later when they were back in the cave, Linkidu and Sakirina examined the large crystal closer.  
  
"It almost looks as if it were burning on the inside," Sakirina said, voicing her thoughts.  
  
"You're right," Linkidu agreed slowly. "I wonder what its uses are."  
  
"You think it has uses?" Saki asked. "Or is it just a useless knick-knack?"  
  
"It could be a useless knick-knack. But I have a feeling it's not," said Linkidu.  
  
Sakirina looked at him sharply. "I don't like the sound of that."  
  
"Neither do I."  
  
Suddenly the crystal's light flared, blinding the two pets that were looking at it. When the light cleared, a large, vampire-like blue chia was standing at the entrance to the cave. Sakirina and Linkidu scrambled to their feet to face Hubrid Nox, for that must have been who the chia was.  
"What do you want from us?" Linkidu asked boldly.  
  
"Revenge of course! What else could I want?" Hubrid Nox declared loudly.  
  
"For what!?" Sakirina spat.  
  
"For taking the Gem of Truth! I need that for some...experiments," said the evil chia.  
  
"The poor little chia! His little toy has been stolen! Poor thing," taunted Sakirina. "Do you really think we plan to give it back to you? It's obvious you will use it for evil, and that is exactly what we want to prevent. And we didn't steal it. We found it."  
  
"Don't insult me! You will be very sorry if you do," Hubrid Nox yelled.  
  
The evil blue chia muttered something and pointed at the crystal. It flamed and then went dark. "Nooooo! You have ruined the Gem's power!" Hubrid Nox yelled angrily.  
  
"Us!? We don't even know what it does!" Linkidu protested.  
  
"Hmmph! You will pay for this you stupid creatures! Pay, and pay well!" the chia declared, and vanished.  
  
Sakirina carefully picked up the crystal and looked at it intently. "I think we have not seen the last of Hubrid Nox." She said at last.  
  
  
Author's Note: Since this is not a multi-part story I will be writing other short stories about Sakirina and Linkidu. You will soon be able to find them in later issues of the Neopian Times. Feel free to send me any feedback or ideas on my story! 


	2. The Gem of Truth

The Gem of Truth  
  
Be sure to read Sakirina's Change of Heart, as it is the first in the series.  
  
Sakirina the lupe muttered something and a blue flame flared into life. She and Linkidu the chia had come a long way with working the Gem of Truth since they had found it in an abandoned well in the Haunted Woods many months ago. They now knew many of its powers, although they could not use them all. Since their first meeting with Hubrid Nox, Sakirina and Linkidu had not seen him again. His promised revenge was still to come.   
  
The two were an odd couple, a chia and lupe, but they were good friends all the same. They would explore the depths of Neopia together, finding many surprises and mysteries. Though sometimes Sakirina wished for an owner to feed and play with her, she was happy being free and in the companionship of Linkidu.  
  
One day they were camping in a clearing deep in the Haunted Woods. Sakirina was practicing with the Gem when Linkidu voiced something he had been thinking about a lot lately.  
  
"Saki? Do you think the Gem is good or evil?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. It was made by Hubrid Nox, and he's evil, but it doesn't seem evil itself. Maybe it just depends on how you use it," she replied.  
  
"That's possible. How do you know it was made by Sir Evil Chia?" Linkidu questioned.  
  
"I don't know. Who else would have made it?" retorted Sakirina.  
  
"He just doesn't seem powerful enough to make it," he said, eating an apple.  
  
"Get me an apple, will you," Sakirina said. Linkidu handed her an apple and she bit into it before continuing. "That's true. I don't think he's very powerful. He always finds someone else to do the hard work. I wonder how much its worth."  
  
"Good question. Maybe we could find someone who would know," Linkidu said.  
  
"Hey, that's a great idea! Who do you think would know?" Sakirina exclaimed.  
  
"Hmmm... Oh I know! Remember that one professor we read about in the Neopian Times? Remilas Lenlei? I bet he could help us!" replied Linkidu.  
  
"Oh yeah! I remember now! I bet you're right! Let's try and track him down tomorrow." Sakirina said excitedly.  
  
"We should get some sleep then," Linkidu said, lying down.   
  
"Good night," Sakirina said sleepily.  
  
"Good night," Linkidu replied.  
  
***  
  
When Sakirina and Linkidu woke up the next morning the woods were shrouded in fog. Yawning, they cooked breakfast and packed up their things. "  
  
"Where d'you think we'd find that Remilas Lenlei guy?" Sakirina asked, stuffing a pan into her backpack.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe we should try the NeoCollege. If he's a professor kind of guy he's probably there," Linkidu decided.  
  
"That's a good idea. How should we get there?" said Sakirina.  
  
"Maybe we can catch a ride with someone. Come on, let's find the road," replied Linkidu.  
  
Sakirina and Linkidu had been walking for a while when they stumbled upon the road. In the distance they could see a small navy blue car. As the car drew closer the two pets could see that an old yellow techo was driving.   
  
"Great timing! Maybe he'll give us a ride," Sakirina exclaimed.  
  
The techo was wearing a little black hat and a black coat. Linkidu shifted nervously on his feet. He wasn't fond of strangers.  
  
"Hullo there! Who might you be?" the techo asked.  
  
"I'm Linkidu and this is Sakirina," Linkidu told him. "Where are you headed?"  
  
"I'm off to Neopia Central!" replied the techo.  
  
"Great! Would you mind giving us a ride?" Sakirina asked hopefully.  
  
"No problem! Hop on in!" the techo said. Sakirina and Linkidu climbed into the back of the car.   
  
"By the way, what's your name?" Sakirina questioned.   
  
"Name's Denekin," he replied.  
  
"Hmmm..." Linkidu muttered.  
  
They rode in silence for a while, just watching the scenery flash by. Linkidu had been thinking hard all the while they had been driving through the Haunted Woods. There was something he didn't like about Denekin. He wasn't sure what, but there was something strange about this techo. "Umm, Saki?" he whispered hesitantly.  
  
"What?" she asked sleepily.   
  
"Does this Denekin guy seem weird to you?" Linkidu shifted around to see her face.  
  
"What do you mean weird?"  
  
"I don't know. Something just doesn't seem...well...right about him," he replied slowly.   
  
"Hmmm...I don't see anything wrong with him," Sakirina said thoughtfully.  
  
Linkidu shook his head, but didn't say anything more about his uneasiness. He looked at Denekin. He didn't look odd, but something about him puzzled Linkidu. He sighed, and sank into the seat of the car, quickly falling asleep. Sakirina fell asleep not long after.  
  
***  
  
When they awoke, Sakirina and Linkidu were somewhere completely different from the woods they had been last driving through. Linkidu looked around groggily, seeing a low wooden bench sitting in the corner with food on it. He realized he was starving and went over to see what the food was. 2/3 Bacon and Broccoli Omelette sat on a blue plastic plate, looking old. Linkidu ate 1/3 of it anyway and went to wake up Sakirina.   
  
She was already awake and sitting up. "I think you were right," she mumbled grumpily. "Where are we anyway?"  
  
"I have no idea. There's an omelette over on that bench if you're hungry."   
  
Sakirina got up stiffly and stumbled over to the bench. Sitting down, she picked up the omelette and bit hungrily into it. Swallowing, she mumbled, "Ugh, this tastes like cardboard."  
  
"I know, but at least it's edible," Linkidu replied. Sakirina finished the omelette and looked around the room some more. There was a jug of water in another corner. Sakirina went over to it and took a gulp. Linkidu got up and followed her over to the water. "Are you worried?" Sakirina asked, handing the jug to Linkidu.  
  
"A bit, but remember we have the Gem. You do have it don't you?" Linkidu inquired anxiously, after taking a drink from the jug of water.   
  
"Yes, I have it. Remember that it can't be found by anyone but its ruler, which is us now. We went through that ceremony to make us its controller, remember?" Sakirina replied evenly. She went back to the bench and sat down.   
  
"Does that mean that even if Hubrid Nox found it he wouldn't be able to use it?" asked Linkidu. "You've studied the power of the Gem more than I have."  
  
"No, because he could just go through the same ceremony. It takes a long time to do though so he wouldn't be able to use the Gem until he completed the ceremony, which takes a month. That would give us time to retrieve the Gem, or disable it," replied Sakirina. Linkidu came to sit beside her.   
  
They sat in silence for a minute before Linkidu asked, "How do we plan to get out of here? There's no windows and I bet you a million neopoints the door is locked." Linkidu got up to make sure the door was locked. It was.  
  
"Well...I suppose we could use the Gem to break the door, but we don't know where we are. There could be anything on the other side of that door," Sakirina answered. She looked around for anything that might be of use to them. There was nothing.   
  
"Does the Gem have the power to show us what's on the other side of the door?" wondered Linkidu.   
  
"Hmmm, let me try something," Sakirina muttered in response, pulling out the Gem. "Teketius locurum! Nope, didn't work-let's try something else. Lialumdi renedur!" A ghostly picture appeared hovering over the door. It showed dense forest and not a soul in sight.   
  
Linkidu sighed. "Well, that's a good thing-nobody there." The picture disappeared and the plain wooden door showed once again.   
  
"Now for the hard part," Sakirina said. "Let me try something." She held the Gem up and muttered something but the door didn't open.  
  
"Darn," grumbled Linkidu.  
  
"I had a feeling that wouldn't work-it's not a very powerful spell," replied Sakirina. "Let me try again. Tajeryn sekoria!" That didn't appear to work either. Linkidu got up and kicked the door.   
  
"I think we're going to have to bust it with pure truth," he said thoughtfully, sitting down in the middle of the room.  
  
"You're probably right," Sakirina observed. "Although we've never done it before."  
  
"Yeah, that's true. Do you know how?" Linkidu asked.  
  
"I know how, but it's really dangerous. Especially since I've never done it before," replied Sakirina.   
  
"You should still try. There isn't really any other way out of here," answered Linkidu. He looked around the room for anything they might have missed that could help them.  
  
"You're right. We have to try," Sakirina said bravely. Linkidu slipped his paw into hers. She smiled and held the Gem tightly in her other paw. Holding it up she said softly, "Qasimlor tigansa!" The door shook but held.   
  
"One more time I think," Linkidu whispered. Sakirina took a deep breath and said, louder this time, "Qasimlor tigansa!" This time they heard a click and the door swung open.   
  
"You did it!" Linkidu cried, throwing his arms around Sakirina.  
  
"You helped," she replied, embarrassed. "Come on, let's go." The two grabbed hands and walked out of the little house.   
  
As they walked along Sakirina asked, "Who do you suppose kidnapped us?"  
  
"That old techo obviously. I knew there was something weird about him," Linkidu replied.  
  
"But why would some old techo want to kidnap us?" she said, looking back at the house.  
  
"How should I know? Maybe he was working for Hubrid Nox? It's possible," answered Linkidu.  
  
"That's possible. He's not giving up on getting the Gem back is he?" They were in the thicker part of the woods now, pushing through dense ground cover.  
  
"I don't believe he'll give up until he gets the Gem then or we defeat him," Linkidu observed.   
  
"Then we'll have to defeat him won't we?" Sakirina replied.  
  
"I do believe you are right," decided Linkidu.  
  
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	3. Madam Ashiria's Prediction

Madam Ashiria's Prediction  
  
Be sure to read Sakirina's Change of Heart and The Gem of Truth  
  
"Psh," Sakirina snorted in disgust. "That faerie cloud racers game is impossible!" Linkidu glanced at Sakirina then quickly went back to his game.   
  
"It's not that hard." He was doing better at it than she was.  
  
"Oh yes it is. Can we go to the fair now?" Sakirina retorted.  
  
"Oh fine," Linkidu replied as he sent his game score and the neopoints rolled out of the pink game machine. "Let's go." Sakirina and Linkidu were on vacation in Faerieland and they were traveling around seeing the beautiful Faerieland sights. They walked off along the road to the Faerieland Fair. As they entered the fair grounds the green lupe and yellow chia were hit by the sounds and smells of food, performers, and various other things. Pushing their way through the crowds, Sakirina and Linkidu stopped in front of a food stall.   
  
"You hungry?" Sakirina asked, yelling to be heard over the noise.   
  
"Yeah, starving," Linkidu replied, also yelling. "Let's get something to eat." There was a large green skeith taking orders.   
  
Sakirina walked up to him and said "Two faerie queen burritos please."  
  
"Right away, ma'am," he replied. The skeith went to get their burritos. Sakirina and Linkidu stood there looking around at the colorful things for sale. The skeith came back and handed them their burritos.   
  
"Thanks," Linkidu said, handing him some neopoints.  
  
"Where should we go next?" Sakirina asked, taking a large bite of burrito. Suddenly she looked up from her lunch to see a small tent made out of starry fabric. A sign sat in front of it that said "Madam Ashiria's Fortune Telling."  
  
"Cool!" Sakirina exclaimed. "Let's go in!" She skipped eagerly into the tent. Linkidu followed, shaking his head. Sometimes he thought Sakirina was too adventurous for her own good. Inside the tent was a low table with a milky white crystal ball.   
  
"Hello?" Linkidu called nervously.   
  
"Oh hello, children!" a soft voice said. A faerie Aisha wearing a black lace shawl appeared out of the shadows. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"U-u-umm...We'd like to have our fortunes told," Sakirina stuttered. Linkidu rolled his eyes at her but didn't say anything. "What else was I supposed to say?" she hissed at him.  
  
"Hmmph," he muttered. Sakirina sat down on the crimson cushion that was in front of the table. Madam Ashiria sat down on the other side of the table and looked into the crystal ball.   
  
"I see that you have hard times ahead of you," she whispered mysteriously. Sakirina gulped. "I also see a large blue jewel. You are holding it up. A...a chia is running away from you. The chia is blue." Linkidu and Sakirina looked at each other. What could this mean? "I see no more in the crystal ball," Madam Ashiria concluded.   
  
"Thank you," Sakirina said, handing her a few neopoints. "We'd better get going."  
  
"Come again some time!" Ashiria said.  
  
"Sure, we'll come back sometime," Linkidu replied nervously. "Let's go Saki." Sakirina and Linkidu walked out of Madam Ashiria's tent. They blinked, trying to get used to the sunlight.   
  
"What now?" Sakirina asked.   
  
"Ummm, do you want go back to the hotel? I'm kind of tired," answered Linkidu. He looked around the square of food stalls uneasily.  
  
"Sure, that's fine," Sakirina replied, looking at him oddly. They walked back to the Faerieland Hotel where they were staying in silence. Sakirina was puzzling over what Madam Ashiria had said about the Gem. Did it have something to do with Hubrid Nox? Her description of the chia fit him so it was possible.   
  
Looking around at the scenery of Faerieland, Linkidu was thinking. About everything really. Mostly just about the Gem, Madam Ashiria, and Sakirina. He secretly had a crush on Sakirina, but he would never tell her as much.   
  
They were coming to the Faerieland Hotel now, which was a cozy 5 star hotel. As they walked through the front doors of the hotel Sakirina and Linkidu could see something was wrong. Going up to a usul that stood a little back from the crowd, Linkidu asked, "What's going on?"  
  
"Some chia tried to break in the hotel. He didn't steal anything but he got away. Nobody got a really good look at him, but we know he was blue," the usul replied. Sakirina gasped and looked at Linkidu. He was gaping at the usul, eyes wide.   
  
"Could it be?" he whispered. "You left the Gem here. He must have known that somehow."  
  
"Hubrid Nox? Definitely," Sakirina replied, looking around at the other pets that were milling around. "Who else?"  
  
"I guess there is nobody else," Linkidu said. "Let's go up to the room and talk about this there."  
  
"Good idea," answered Sakirina. The two headed for the stairs up to the second floor.   
  
As they walked slowly up the stairs Linkidu voiced a sudden thought, "I wonder if this has anything to do with Madam Ashiria's prediction."  
  
"It probably does," she replied. "And what do you think that 'blue chia running away from me' means?"  
  
"That you're going to defeat him maybe? I dunno," he answered. They came to their room and Linkidu unlocked it. Going in, they sat down on the bed.  
  
"That's an interesting thought," said Sakirina. "I wish we knew more about Hubrid Nox."  
  
"Yeah..." Linkidu trailed off. They sat there in silence for a while until Sakirina suddenly thought of something.  
  
"Have you ever wondered why it was us that found the Gem?" she asked, flipping on the NTV.  
  
"Yeah, I've thought about it. It's probably coincidence, although it could be something more," replied Linkidu.  
  
"It could be, but why us?" Sakirina wondered aloud.   
  
"We're special?" Linkidu joked. "I dunno, but thinking about it is making my brain hurt."  
  
Sakirina laughed. "It kind of makes my brain hurt too." She looked up at the NTV and scowled. A picture of Hubrid Nox was on the screen of the television. "Too much publicity," she grumbled.  
  
"At least they don't know he was trying to steal the Gem," Linkidu told her.  
  
"That's true," Sakirina admitted. She flipped off the NTV and looked around for something to do. Seeing a book of spells, Sakirina picked it up and ruffled through the pages. She sighed and set it down. "I'm bored," she mumbled glumly.  
  
"Me too," Linkidu replied sleepily. "Do you wan to go get a snack from the café?"  
  
"Sure, at least it will give us something to do," Sakirina replied, standing and stretching.  
  
"Let's go," Linkidu went to the door and opened it, snapping off the light as he went.   
  
As they walked down the stairs to the café, Sakirina couldn't stop thinking about Madam Ashiria's prediction. As hard as she tried, she couldn't put it out of her mind. Sighing, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"  
  
Linkidu shifted nervously. "Ashiria's prediction," he lied. He had really been thinking about Sakirina.  
  
"That's what I thought. I can't stop thinking about it! As hard as I try, I can't get it out of my mind!" she complained.  
  
Good, she believes me! Linkidu thought. "Neither can I! It's so annoying," he said. They were almost to the café now; Linkidu looked around at the few Neopets still milling around outside the café. The two stepped inside the double doors of the hotel café and walked over to a short line of customers to get something to eat.  
  
"What do you want?" Sakirina asked, looking in the case of pastries.  
  
"I think I'll have a Faerie Pastry," Linkidu replied, pointing.  
  
"Okay, I'm going to have the Earth Faerie Brownies," Sakirina decided. "One Faerie Pastry and the Earth Faerie Brownies please," she told the red uni behind the counter.  
  
"Sure thing!" the uni exclaimed, making Sakirina frown. She was in a bad mood at the moment. The uni slid open the pastry case and pulled out a Linkidu's Faerie Pastry and Sakirina's Earth Faerie Brownies. Wrapping the food up in a napkin, the uni handed the pastries to Sakirina and Linkidu handed her some neopoints.   
  
"Let's find a table," Linkidu said, leading Sakirina off towards a small table by the window. They began to eat their pastries, looking out the window and thinking about various things.  
  
Suddenly Sakirina voiced a thought. "Hubrid Nox will do anything to get the Gem of Truth back won't he?"  
  
"I believe he will," Linkidu replied.  
  
"Then I think Madam Ashiria's prediction was right, we do have hard times ahead of us," Sakirina stated firmly.  
  
Author's Note: The third part of the stories of Sakirina and Linkidu has fallen into place. I look forward to writing more about them and their adventures. You may be able to find further parts to this story in later issues of the Neopian Times. Feel free to send me any ideas or feedback on the story!  
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	4. The Spyder Charmer

The Spyder Charmer  
  
Sakirina and Linkidu sat at the mouth of their cave eating cereal for breakfast. Lately they had talked a lot about Madam Ashiria's prediction, though Hubrid Nox had not tried to steal the Gem of Truth since the last incident in Faerieland. Suddenly Linkidu had an idea. "What would happen if we destroyed the Gem?" he prompted.  
  
"I suppose Hubrid Nox would stop trying to steal it from us because there'd be nothing to steal," Sakirina replied. "Why?"  
  
"I just wondered-that's all," Linkidu answered. "It would be nice to get him off our backs."  
  
"That's certainly true," said Sakirina. "But are we sure we want to get rid of the Gem?"  
  
Linkidu thought about that for a minute. "No, I don't think we are. Maybe we should wait," he said after a minute of thinking.  
  
"I think you're right," Sakirina decided, setting down her cereal bowl and washing off her paws in the stream that ran past the cave.   
  
"What do you want to do today?" Linkidu asked, also setting down his cereal bowl.  
  
"Ummm... I dun know," Sakirina replied, washing the bowls in the stream. Suddenly a small black blob came flying off of a small ledge that overlooked the cave. It landed by Linkidu and if a spyder-for that was what it was-could look pitiful that was exactly what it was doing. Linkidu grinned and picked the spyder up.   
  
"Isn't it cute?" he asked. Sakirina raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Are you felling alright, Linkidu? I thought you hated spyders!" she asked suspiciously.   
  
"I don't hate spyders! They're cute!" he told her angrily.   
  
"Whatever you say," Sakirina muttered, going inside the cave and putting the bowls on a shelf. Linkidu followed her in carefully holding the spyder. Sakirina shook her head at him but didn't say anything. Suddenly a much larger than usual spyder came over a small hill near the cave. Many more spyders soon followed it, all as big as the first. Sakirina gasped and dropped the bowl she was holding. It shattered on the floor. "Come on!" she yelled to Linkidu. He just stood there, dazed. "Linkidu!" she shouted, shaking him to his senses. He carefully set down the spyder he was holding and followed her outside.   
  
"Uh oh," Linkidu muttered, looking at the herd of giant spyders. "What are we going to do?"  
  
"Use the Gem's power? I suppose we could..." Sakirina replied, running back into the cave and retrieving the Gem of Truth from a small box. "What spell should we use?"  
  
"Ummm...you use the Gem more than I do," he whispered. "I wouldn't know."  
  
"Well... we could use the Destroy All spell but that would cause a bit of a...erm...problem somewhere else," Sakirina whispered back.  
  
"What do you mean 'problem'?" asked Linkidu.  
  
Sakirina looked uncomfortable. "Well, there would be a bit of an earthquake somewhere else."  
  
"I think we'll have to chance it to get rid of these spyders," Linkidu replied uneasily. Suddenly a sound of music, sounding like a flute, began to play. The lupe and chia looked around but didn't see where the music was coming from. Suddenly they looked up to see a red usul jump down from the tree and circled around the spyders. He continued his music. They were slowing down now. The lead spyder stopped and most of the spyders behind it also slowed to a halt. Sakirina and Linkidu gazed at the usul in awe.  
  
"Stop staring at me," he snapped, taking the flute from his lips.   
  
"How did you do that?" Sakirina asked, brushing a paw over one of the spyders. It felt like stone.   
  
"Magic," he said sharply, prowling through the herd of giant stone spyders. "Why are these spyders here?"  
  
"How should we know?" Linkidu asked, equally sharp. "How did you know they were here?"  
  
"I didn't know they were here. I was on rounds and I heard them smashing all the trees in their path," the red usul answered.  
  
"What do you mean 'rounds'?" Sakirina asked.  
  
"Every day I go on rounds of the Haunted Woods. I patrol it for anything suspicious. Especially those herds of giant petpets. We've been seeing a lot of them lately. By the way, I'm Kairensri," replied Kairensri.  
  
"Giant petpets? This is a strange world we live in. Oh and I'm Linkidu, this is Sakirina," Linkidu said thoughtfully, motioning towards Sakirina. "Would you like to stay and tell us about these giant petpet herds?"  
  
"Sure, I don't see why not," Kairensri replied. "I'm a bit tired." Sakirina walked into the cave and pulled some chairs out from around a small table. Linkidu and Kairensri followed, talking about the overgrown petpets. They sat down at the table.   
  
"So, what's with these giant petpets?" Sakirina asked, filling three cups with water from the stream.  
  
"Well, about a week ago the first giant petpet was sighted. The wocky who saw it well...wasn't very lucky. Since then we've been seeing herds of them, mostly spyders and a few other spooky petpets," Kairensri told them. Sakirina sat down, passing the cups of water around.   
  
"Does anyone know why there are herds of huge petpets lurking around the Haunted Woods all of a sudden?" Linkidu wondered aloud.  
  
"No, no one knows anything about it," the red usul told them ruefully.   
  
"Wait-Linkidu, what about...him?" Sakirina questioned. "Could this have something to do with him?"  
  
"Hubrid Nox? That's entirely possible-he's tried worse things than this," Linkidu replied thoughtfully.   
  
"Hubrid Nox? What about him?" Kairensri interrupted.  
  
"Well, see we have something that originally belonged to him and he wants it back. He's tried kidnapping us and stealing it so far. He hasn't succeeded," Sakirina said dryly.   
  
"Wow," Kairensri said. "So you think he sent the spyders and other petpets?"  
  
"Exactly," Linkidu replied, taking a sip of water. He set the cup down, watching Kairensri's face as he did so.  
  
" I'll help you," Kairensri offered, after thinking for a minute. "I've had a run-in with Hubrid Nox myself, and believe me-it wasn't fun."  
  
"Really?" Sakirina wanted to know, amazed that he wanted to help them.  
  
"Yeah, why not?" he replied.   
  
"Well...I don't know. It'll be dangerous," Sakirina told him.   
  
"I know. I can handle it easy enough," Kairensri replied, setting his cup of water down.  
  
"Well, Kairensri, I think we've made a new friend," Linkidu said gratefully.  
  
"Thanks Linkidu! And by the way, you can Kairen or just Kai-everyone does," he replied.  
  
"Alright, Kairen!" Sakirina took the now empty cups and rinsed them out in the stream. Suddenly she noticed the first spyder, that Linkidu had thought was so cute, sulking against a wall. She picked him up and looked him over. Linkidu shuddered.   
  
"Ugly things," he said. Sakirina giggled. Not long ago he had been saying it was cute. She took the spyder outside and sat him on the branch of a tree. Coming back inside, she looked at the stone spyders and shivered. They would have to move them somewhere else, she thought. She walked into the cave and sat down at the table.  
  
"You know, Kairen, we haven't yet thanked you for saving our lives, so thank you!" she said.  
  
"You are very welcome," Kairen told them warmly. It's always nice to meet another friend!"  
  
"It certainly is!" Linkidu announced.  
  
Author's Note: Thus ends the fourth of the adventures of Sakirina and Linkidu. I will be writing more about this lupe and chia soon. One thing you might want to know: the fifth story will most likely be the last. You'll know more about that later. Feel free to send me any ideas or feedback on the story!  
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	5. The Shadows of Hubrid Nox

The Shadows of Hubrid Nox: Part I  
  
Linkidu looked around and sighed. Sakirina was off prowling around the Haunted Woods. She had gotten mad at him earlier because he didn't want to do anything she wanted to do. Kairensri was off patrolling the forest, so Linkidu was home alone. He sighed again and plopped down in a chair. He hated making Sakirina mad. Looking around the cave that they lived in, Linkidu saw the small box in which the Gem of Truth was kept. Slowly getting up, he walked over to the box and carefully opened it. He was surprised to find that the Gem was still in the box. Sakirina usually took it with her when she left the cave. Linkidu supposed she had forgotten it in her rush to leave. He took the Gem out of the small wooden box and held it in his paw. It flashed, much as he remembered it had when they had first found it, which was the first time they had encountered Hubrid Nox. Surprised, Linkidu dropped the Gem. "Uh oh," he muttered. "It better not be broken or Saki will be extremely mad."   
  
He picked up the Gem and turned it over in his paws. It didn't appear cracked, but there was something different about it. He couldn't place what it was, but something about the crystal was...well...wrong. Shaking his head, he placed the large blue Gem back in the box and put it on the shelf. Linkidu went to the mouth of the cave and sat down. He stared at the sky, not really thinking, not really looking at anything. Suddenly he became aware of someone moving around close to the cave. He looked up to see Kairensri.   
  
"You're back soon," Linkidu muttered glumly.  
  
"No I'm not, I've been gone a couple hours," replied Kairen, sitting down against the cave wall. "Where's Sakirina?"  
  
Linkidu sighed. "She got mad and walked off," he replied. Kairen raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why?" he asked.  
  
"I dunno. She's just been kinda moody lately. I guess I just wasn't being cooperative. She'll probably be back soon," Linkidu replied.  
  
Kairen smiled slightly. "Why don't you just tell her you like her and get it over with?" he inquired.  
  
Linkidu scowled. "How did you know that?"  
  
"It's obvious," Kairen replied. "Anyway, I still think you need to tell her."  
  
"I'm afraid if I do I'll start to be uncomfortable around her," Linkidu protested.  
  
"You're not uncomfortable now are you?"   
  
"Well, no, but..."  
  
"But what? Telling her you like her isn't going to change how comfortable you are around her! It might possibly make her uncomfortable around you, but it won't make you uncomfortable around her," Kairen told Linkidu.  
  
"I guess..." Linkidu mumbled.  
  
"Look, I'll tell her you like her, then you won't have to," decided Kairen.  
  
"No thanks," replied Linkidu. "If I'm going to tell her at all, I have to tell her myself."  
  
Kairen shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
Linkidu snuggled back against the wall and promptly fell asleep.  
  
***  
Suddenly waking up, Linkidu realized that Sakirina had been gone for hours now. She rarely stayed away from the cave that long. He began to get worried. Could something have happened to her? Linkidu looked into the depths of the dark forest, as though he could see her if he looked hard enough. To his surprise, a vision of Sakirina being dragged through the woods by two shadow unis appeared. Linkidu gasped. What could this mean? He had a bad feeling about the vision and the Gem.  
  
Looking around, he saw Kairen sprawled against the wall across from himself. Walking over to him, Linkidu shook Kairen awake.  
  
"Wah?" Kairen mumbled sleepily.   
  
"Kairen! Sakirina's still not back and it's been hours since she left!" Linkidu screeched hurriedly. Kairen snapped to awareness.  
  
"How long since she left?"   
  
"I don't really know. Maybe three or more hours!" Linkidu figured.  
  
Kairen got to his feet. "Three hours!"   
  
"Yeah! And I saw a vision of her being dragged through the Haunted Woods by a couple of unis!"  
  
"A vision? We better find her, and quick!" exclaimed Kairen. "Come on!"   
  
Linkidu grabbed the Gem out of its box and hung it around his neck on the pouch Sakirina usually kept it on.  
  
***  
  
Sakirina wandered through the forest, not going anywhere in particular. She came to a fallen log and sat down. She had been wandering the woods for hours now, just to wander. Earlier she had gotten mad at Linkidu because he had just been moping around the house and he didn't want to do anything fun. Now she wished she hadn't yelled at him. Looking around the small clearing that she was sitting in, she saw that there was an extremely tall tree in the center of the clearing. Walking to the tree, Sakirina ran her paws over the bark. It seemed unusually smooth. She sat down and leaned against the tree, putting her head on her knees. The sighing of the wind in the trees soon put her to sleep.  
  
Sakirina snapped awake, having heard a crackle of leaves, seemingly in her dreams. The sky was dark now, and few stars could be seen through the clouds. Tonight's sky was as stormy as Sakirina's thoughts. Peering through the darkness, she shakily got to her feet. "Shush!" a voice whispered fiercely. Uh oh, she thought, looking for the source of the voice. A shadow at the edge of the trees seemed to move. Sakirina felt for the pouch where she usually kept the Gem of Truth while she was away from home to find it wasn't there. She had left the Gem back at the cave. Another shadow near the tree Sakirina was standing against moved. Looking around, Sakirina saw more shadows move. As the light of the moon hit them, she could see that they were pets painted shadow.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sakirina whispered nervously, shifting around to face the shadowed pets.  
  
"We have come to claim what is rightfully ours," a shadow uni hissed, as other shadows gathered behind us.  
  
"I do not have what you have come for, and I will not tell you where it is," she replied firmly.   
  
"You lie," the uni stated angrily.  
  
Sakirina began to get angry with this uni and all the other shadow pets. "I do not lie. I swear that I do not have the Gem of Truth."  
  
Suddenly two shadow eyries attacked from behind. Sakirina turned to face them and swung a paw at the smaller one. "Guys! Guys! Lord wants 'er unhurt," the shadowed uni told them. The eyries didn't reply but backed reluctantly away from Sakirina. She was breathing heavily now, carefully watching the two eyries. "Where is the chia?" the uni asked.   
  
"Who wants to know?" Sakirina retorted, still gasping for breath. The dark uni smirked, but did not reply. He made a whistling noise and Sakirina was hit on the head with a stone. She fell to the ground, out cold.  
  
***  
  
As Kairen and Linkidu walked through the dense forest, they began to talk about where Sakirina could be.  
  
"Could you tell where they were in the vision?" Kairen prompted.  
  
"No, one part of the Haunted Woods looks just like the rest of it," Linkidu replied.  
  
"True."  
  
"I think I have an idea where they could be though," said Linkidu.  
  
"What?" asked Kairen.  
  
"You know how that old techo, Denekin his name was, kidnapped us?" Linkidu told him.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"I think they might have put Sakirina where they put us before when they kidnapped us," replied Linkidu.  
  
"Good idea."  
  
I hope we'll be able to find the house, Linkidu thought. I suppose it's more of a problem if we don't find the house though, because if we do and Sakirina's not there we can at least look for a trail.   
  
Finding the house was not hard; Linkidu had managed to remember how to get there. He tried the door, and to his surprise, it opened. The red usul and yellow chia pushed the door wide open and looked around the small room. No Sakirina. As they were turning to leave, bags were thrown over Linkidu and Kairen's heads. They struggled, trying to pull the bags off. Hands picked up the two bags and someone whispered into Linkidu's, "Stop wiggling or I'll get rid of you, the usul, and the lupe." That made Linkidu settle down. He could feel the bag bumping up and down as whatever had picked him up strode off through the woods.  
  
To be continued... 


	6. A Choice of Beginning and Ending

The Shadows of Hubrid Nox: Part II  
  
Suddenly Sakirina snapped awake. She looked around dazedly, wondering where she was. Then the memories of being in the Haunted Woods when the shadow pets knocked her out came back. "So you're up," someone said dryly. Sakirina recognized the voice. She looked around for Linkidu. Seeing him she replied, "So they caught you too?" She tried to lift her arms but found that they were chained to the wall by some slightly rusted chains.   
  
"They certainly did," he told her. "When we were trying to find you." Sakirina looked around to see Kairen. He was still asleep.  
  
"I'm sorry I got mad at you," she said.  
  
"I'm sorry I wasn't cooperating," Linkidu replied, trying to get up only to find that he also had chains. "You know," he said, "I like you a lot." He blushed.  
  
"You mean really like? As in relationship like?" Sakirina squeaked.  
  
"I do."  
  
"Oh, Fyora," muttered Sakirina. "What a mess. Okay, Linkidu, I like you a lot, though maybe not quite the way you like me. We'll have to sort this out later."  
  
Linkidu kissed her cheek. "Thanks."  
  
"How do we get out of this anyway?" Sakirina wondered aloud, after they had sat in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"Hmmm, good question. I haven't a clue," Linkidu replied, slightly annoyed with himself.   
  
"Do you have the Gem?" Sakirina asked, looking slightly panicked.   
  
Linkidu felt for the pouch in which he had put the Gem of Truth. "Uh oh," he muttered.   
  
"Don't tell me...?" asked Sakirina, getting even more panicked.   
  
"They've taken it," Linkidu confirmed. Sakirina groaned and looked around the room. "Where are we?" Linkidu wondered aloud. They were in a small room that looked like it was the inside of a space ship. It was made of metal and had small wires running along the walls.   
  
"The Space Station? I doubt that though-the only person who would want to kidnap us is Hubrid Nox and he lives in the Haunted Woods," Sakirina replied.  
  
"Correct," a cold voice said from behind them. Sakirina and Linkidu spun around. "You are in the Haunted Woods, and I am Hubrid Nox."  
  
"Oh no," whispered Linkidu. "We're in big trouble now." Hubrid Nox grinned wickedly.   
  
"We're in big trouble now," he mimicked. Suddenly they heard a crack that sounded like lightning. The Faerie Queen herself materialized near Sakirina. Kairen woke up at the sound of Fyora materializing.   
  
"I'm disappointed in you, Hubrid," she told him sternly, sounding just like a teacher. He looked like a small child who had just been told to stop talking in class. "Give Sakirina the Gem of Truth." He hesitated.   
  
"But..." the vampire-like blue chia protested.  
  
"Now." Hubrid Nox reluctantly handed over the Gem. "So Sakirina, we meet at last." Sakirina huddled against the wall, awed at seeing the majestic Faerie Queen.   
  
"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked.   
  
"Perhaps I should explain some things," the faerie in the long purple dress answered. "I would rather do that in my castle, therefore, let's get going. Hubrid, I'll deal with you later-don't try to run. You know what I can do." Sakirina and Linkidu were watching the Faerie Queen's every move. "Come on you three. Give me your paws."   
  
"We're chained to the wall though," Linkidu reminded the Queen, showing her the chains.  
  
"Oh right, I forgot," she replied. With a wave of her hand the Faerie Queen made the chains binding Sakirina, Linkidu, and Kairen disappear. "Come on now." Sakirina and Kairen slipped their paws into the beautiful faerie's hand. Linkidu hesitated, then also gave the Queen his own paw. With a flash of purple light, Sakirina, Linkidu, Kairen, and the Faerie Queen were gone.  
  
***  
  
When the brilliant purple light cleared, the three blinked at their new surroundings. They were now in a large marble hall. Out a small window the three pets could see billowing white clouds. They were in Faerieland. Fyora took a seat in a large glittering gold throne. "Now, to explain," she said quietly. "First of all, Sakirina, you were not abandoned."  
  
"I...wasn't?"  
  
"No, you were lost. You once belonged to me." The Queen of Faeries paused to let that sink in.   
  
"I once belonged to the Faerie Queen herself?" Sakirina couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"You did. Until you were lost. I had much trouble finding you and getting the Gem of Truth to you." The Queen actually grinned. "After you were lost, I sent out many searchers to find you. They couldn't. It seemed there was some force shielding you that we could not break through. Then, a few years after you were lost, someone found you. If I recall correctly, it was a small blue chia. I believe the Chia's name was Aleni."   
  
Sakirina gasped. Aleni had been her first friend after she was abandoned-no, that wasn't right, she had been lost. This was coming at her too fast. "D-d'you know where Aleni is now?" she asked.  
  
"I do," the faerie replied. "Aleni!" she called. A blue chia shuffled into the room.   
  
"Sakirina?" the chia whispered shyly.   
  
"Aleni!? Is it really you?" cried Sakirina.   
  
"It's me all right! I can't believe I'm seeing you at last!" Aleni threw herself into Sakirina's paws. "Who're the yellow chia and the usul?"  
  
"The chia's Linkidu. The usul is Kairensri, or just Kairen. Guys, this is Aleni-I knew her a long time ago, back before I met you," Sakirina replied. "So, where does the Gem come in?" she asked the Faerie Queen.  
  
"Well, before you were lost, the Gem resided here: in the Hidden Tower. It was used to protect Neopia, and you were the one who wielded it. It was no accident that you found it in the well in the Haunted Woods. We put it there so you would find it and use it to keep on protecting Neopia from those few who wish to rule it themselves," the Queen told them. "You are not as normal as you think."  
  
"You mean, I'm supposed to protect Neopia?!" Sakirina squeaked.   
  
"You are. And now that you know your past, will you take your position as Ultimate Defender of Neopia, or will you renounce the title?"   
  
Sakirina sighed-she hated big decisions. "You know," she said, "I think the gem has caused us more trouble than it's worth. I think we should get rid of it somehow."  
  
Fyora raised an eyebrow. "Really? You do have a point there," she answered thoughtfully.   
  
"I think Sakirina is right," Linkidu announced, slipping his paw into hers for comfort. She smiled at him.  
  
"You know, I think you're right in that it has caused too much trouble. Maybe you're right. Evils of Neopia can be fought in other ways," the Queen replied. "How do you want to dispose of the Gem of Truth?"  
"Hmmm, well, maybe we could let nature take its course, and throw it to the sands of the Lost Desert," Sakirina decided.  
  
"That's a good idea, let's do it," the Faerie Queen announced. "Webizep, come here."   
  
A green blumaroo came shuffling into the room. "Yes, m'lady?" he asked.   
  
"Bring me a paper, pencil, and a jar, one that will hold up well," Fyora ordered, smiling grimly.  
  
"Right away." The blumaroo bowed and walked out of the room to find the things the Queen required. He was soon back with the items.   
  
"Here Sakirina," the Faerie Queen said. "I want you to write a short message about the Gem for whoever finds it, because believe me, someone will." She handed the paper and pencil to Sakirina and she began to write.   
  
When Sakirina had finished her note, she stuck it and the Gem of Truth in the jar, and sealed it tightly. "I'm ready," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Fyora said. "Come here."  
  
Sakirina, Linkidu, Kairen, and Aleni walked over to the Queen and linked hands and paws. "One, two, three," Fyora said, and they vanished from the Hidden Tower, to land in the middle of the Lost Desert.   
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" the Faerie Queen asked.  
  
"I'm sure," Sakirina replied. Turning to face the rising sun in the East, she threw the jar containing the Gem of Truth into the sands of the desert.  
  
"Good luck to whoever finds it," she whispered. "You'll need it."  
  
Author's Note: The chronicles of Sakirina and Linkidu and their adventures has ended. I will miss writing about Sakirina and Linkidu, but I do hope to write a few more stories concerning them (hint, hint). I do believe you want to know a little more about a relationship between Sakirina and Linkidu, so maybe I will give you a little more info on that. Until then, happy Neopetting! And, as always feel free to send me any ideas or feedback on the story.  
  
  
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